Berkeley police warn about potential threat to kids

Police in Berkeley are spreading a warning to parents to be on the lookout for a man who has been arrested twice and ordered to stay away from all parks and schools in Alameda County. (Berkeley Police Department)

Police in Berkeley are warning parents to be on the lookout for a man who has been arrested twice and ordered to stay away from all parks and schools in Alameda County.

It started on June 12 when officers responded to a call of a suspicious person at the Tot Lot at Mcgee and Hearst Avenues adjacent to the Ohlone Greenway in North Berkeley.

The person who called police said a person tried to feed an unknown liquid to at least three children, one of whom was as young as 1-year-old, without consent from their parents.

Police say the suspect was 36-year-old Berkeley resident William Turner and that after talking with him, officers immediately became concerned with his "unnatural focus on children."

Turner was placed on an emergency psychiatric detention and arrested for annoying or harassing a Child under 18 and possession of stolen property. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser offense and was released. As a term of his probation he was given a "stay away order" from all parks and schools in Alameda County.

On Sept. 1, he was arrested again after an officer saw him near Berkeley High School and Berkeley City College. Turner has since been released from custody.

Berkeley police say they're sharing this info in the hopes that families who visit the city's parks will remain vigilant for William Turner or any other person who may pose a threat to their community.